Legislators should OK stimulus funds
Alaska's legislators will be meeting in special session on Aug. 10 in Anchorage. I urge state legislators to overturn Gov. Sarah Palin's rejection of $28 million in federal stimulus funds for energy conservation and weatherization projects in Alaska. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell has said that he will accept the decision of the legislators. Alaska can use these dollars to put people to work.

Attorney general story had error
In a story that appeared in the Juneau Empire on July 12, "AG: Palin can appoint an 'acting' lieutenant governor," there was a fundamental error regarding the attorney general's opinion on the line of succession to the governorship.

Taxing the rich is a good idea
I am writing in response to the article, "Bad time to be rich? Only if you don't like to pay taxes." In my opinion, the wealthy have not paid enough taxes since our country became independent in 1776. It is time for the rich to feel the oppression that the poor and the working class have felt for centuries.

Land privatization isn't a fair trade
If Sen. Albert Kookesh, D-Angoon, is concerned about the small Alaska communities he represents, he should look to his own backyard. Sealaska Corp. is trying to privatize North Prince of Wales Island, which could destroy the economies of Point Baker, Point Protection, Edna Bay, Naukati, Whale Pass and others. Once private, we lose public access to the land we rely on for subsistence, commercial sport and tourism resources. ANILCA Title VIII protections are lost. Fish stream protections are lost. A world class cave system is lost to science and the public. An extensive road system is lost.

Photo: Coast Guard blood drive
Kaleb Waite, left, watches technician Tony Crisostomo of the Tripler Army Medical Center of Hawaii prepare to take his blood as Ensign Brian Henderson of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hickory finishes up Monday during the Buoy Tender Roundup blood drive at Centennial Hall. The blood drive will continue through the week, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., at Centennial Hall.

Photo: Marine Park blues
Russ Hobson, 56, entertains his friends, Chris Anderson, center, and Andrew Hope, right, at Marine Park on Tuesday. Born and raised in Juneau, Hobson said he has been playing harmonica for 40 years. Hobson said he got hooked on the instrument after an impromptu jam session in Portland, Ore., years ago.

Correction
A page two Associated Press brief in Tuesday's Juneau Empire about an Alaska teen who died hiking in Arizona misstated that he and his family had run out of water. The boy succumbed to heat exhaustion despite having water on hand.

Outside editorial: Health care: The reality of rationing
Opponents of the main Democratic proposals for health-care reform warn that consumers would be stopped from getting the care they need when they need it. President Obama's plan is "rationing," one political strategist blogged.

Taxing health benefits would be a costly solution
Congressional discussions over how to pay for health-care reform are being hindered by several myths that obscure the value of the employer-sponsored health plans covering more than 160 million Americans. Persistent misconceptions about the "tax-favored treatment" of employer-sponsored coverage are that it (1) leads to overconsumption of health services and (2) favors the wealthy.

Palin was successful in her time as governor
I was as surprised as anyone on July 3 when I heard that Gov. Sarah Palin was going to announce her resignation. I was at Costco, getting supplies for the impending Independence Day festivities, when I got a call telling me a press conference was going to take place in Wasilla within the hour. And that prognostication was borne out very quickly; by the time I got home, footage of the governor was on multiple television stations.

My turn: Health care: Who's afraid of the big bad government?
The health care reform debate has been a fascinating one. The vast majority of U.S. citizens know first-hand that the corporate system isn't working and want change, while a steady drumbeat of politicians, "think" tanks and lobbyists continue to insist that somehow the free market will suddenly reverse course and solve the problem of skyrocketing costs.

Much ado over non-coup
We have heard a lot about Honduras lately, but there is much more at issue than the nighttime removal of President Manuel Zelaya on June 28 and its aftermath. The far bigger story is the disgrace of the world's major international political and economic organizations.

Large Alaska wildfire continues to grow
ANCHORAGE - Firefighters on Monday were helping people living in cabins near Nenana clear trees and brush from around their homes in the event that a growing wildfire reaches dozens of cabins along the Teklanika River.

Alaska gets $17M for forests, trails
JUNEAU - The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that Alaska will receive $17.2 million in stimulus money for 11 national forests and trail projects.

Sitka-to-villages ferry proposed
SITKA - A proposed one-year pilot project would re-establish direct passenger and freight ferry service between Sitka and the villages of Angoon, Kake, Tenakee Springs and Hoonah.

Homer Electric out on coal plant restart
FAIRBANKS - The state's industrial development authority will team with the Golden Valley Electric Association on the proposed restart of a coal plant in Healy.

USDA approves Tongass sale
KETCHIKAN - A timber sale in the Tongass National Forest will proceed, the first approved by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack since the Obama administration ordered a one-year moratorium on most road-building and other development on about 50 million acres of remote national forests.

Orphaned grizzly cubs heading to Memphis
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Three grizzly bear cubs that were orphaned in Wyoming last weekend when a hiker fatally shot their mother with a handgun will be shipped to the Memphis Zoo in the next few days, a zoo official said Tuesday.

Juneau teams sweep
The Juneau Junior All-Stars rolled in two wins over Ketchikan and Sitka, 18-3 and 24-0, respectively.

Investigator rules against Palin in ethics probe
ANCHORAGE - An independent investigator has found evidence that Gov. Sarah Palin may have violated ethics laws by trading on her position as she sought money for lawyer fees, in the latest legal distraction for the former vice presidential candidate as she prepares to leave office this week.

Palin's rural advisor wins praise
Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell announced Monday he'll be retaining John Moller as the governor's rural advisor when he assumes the governorship following Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation July 26.

Campbell supports Palin's stimulus veto
ANCHORAGE - The man set to become Alaska's next lieutenant governor said he agrees with Gov. Sarah Palin's veto of federal stimulus money for energy-related projects.

Photo: Sun setting on salmon fishery
The sun sets behind boats Wednesday in the Egegik district of the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery. The sockeye salmon fishery is winding down in all the bay districts but final numbers won't be tallied for weeks. The sockeye harvest run is more than 48 million so far, a number that came faster and earlier than fishermen and biologists expected.

Photos: Sock it to me
The crew on the Icy Bay work Wednesday to remove sockeye salmon from their net. The sockeye salmon fishery is winding down in all the bay districts, but final numbers won't be tallied for weeks. The sockeye harvest run is over 48 million so far, a number that came faster and earlier than fishermen and biologists expected.